Lopez de Heredia - 'Tondonia Reserva' - Viura, Malvasia - Rioja, ES - 2010

A wine that transcends the passing of time. One of the world's greatest whites, historically, and only 15,000 bottles produced annually, one of the rarest. It's a singular wine made by, easily argued, the greatest winery in Spain... I think at least Rioja.

Tasting note:
Colour: Natural gold, developed. Nose: Fresh, complex and developed. Taste: Smooth, round, fine and developed.
Grape Varieties:
Viura (90%), Malvasía (10%), all from our own vineyards.
Ageing period in barrels:
6 years, being racked twice a year and fined with fresh egg whites.
Ageing period in bottle:
Rest, unfiltered, bottled in 75 cl. bottles.
Alcohol Volume:
12.5% Vol.
Total Acidity:
6.6 g/l.
Residual Sugar:
Very Dry.
Gastronomy:
Perfect with all kinds of fish, irrespective of their preparation; grilled seafood, well-seasoned white meat (see below).
Storage Tempertaure:
10 years in perfect conditions of constant temperature (57ºF / 14ºC) and humidity (75-80%).
Serving Temperature:
57º to 61º F (14º-16º C) depending of mood and place.
Quantity made:

15,000 bottles.

It all started in the middle of the nineteenth century when French negociants visited the Rioja region to find alternative sources of quality grapes to transform into wine, since the phylloxera epidemic had decimated their vineyards. Our founder, Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, a knowledgeable and enthusiastic student in the art of wine making, followed closely in their footsteps.
Don Rafael fell in love with the region and especially the area around Haro, the mythical capital of the Rioja Alta region. He observed that there was a magical combination of soil and climate that would offer the perfect environment for producing wine that would eventually become world famous. Around 1877 he began the design and construction of the complex that is today known as the López de Heredia bodega (winery), the oldest in Haro and one of the first three bodegas in the Rioja region.
For over a century our emotions have been rooted in our love and passion for this land and its harvest. We cherish our heritage, and this combination of love and the rigorous quality standards we apply, have become our trademarks and remain our maxim for today and the future.
Bodegas López de Heredia stands out as one of the few family-run bodegas regulated by the Denominación de Origen Calificada Rioja – DOC (Appellation region).

Tradition and conviction
For us, tradition and conviction are life-long attitudes. Our winemaking process has been passed on from generation to generation, and our daily tasks are rooted in tradition, yet at the same time based on our deep belief in the validity and modernity of our methods. By “tradition”, we do not mean immobility and opposition to change; rather a dynamic and aesthetic concept in maintaining eternal principles and criteria. We are perfectly aware of the rhythm of change, and for this reason, our openness to change, our flexibility, our non-conformism and our self-criticism enable us to face the future. What we have inherited from our ancestors is what converts our idiosyncrasies into positive qualities and attitudes.
Our current and future promises can be summarised by two ideas that have always epitomised López de Heredia:
Professionalism, as artisan winemakers, offering the consumer a distinctive product of supreme quality.
Ethic, promoting the well being of all those who work within our bodega by contributing to the happiness of our friends and customers and giving to society the best of our hopes and dreams.